Help me
by GottaLoveTheSun
Summary: Stuck in an abusive relationship that never seems to go away, Maura is constantly looking over her shoulder for danger but can never seem to get the courage to tell Jane or anyone she knows. Will Jane be able to save her when trouble stirs up or will she be too late? Trigger Warning: Abuse scenes and talk about abuse - Rated T. Being rewritten as of 10/15.
1. Only Women Bleed

**Disclaimer: All rights go to the beautiful producers and creators of the TV show Rizzoli and Isles **

**Chapter 1 – Only Women Bleed**

* * *

"_Man makes your hair gray. He's your life's mistake  
All you're really lookin' for is an even break  
He lies right at you. You know you hate this game  
He slaps you once in a while and you live and love in pain"_

_[Only Women Bleed by Alice Cooper]_

* * *

"No, no, no, no…" Maura half-heartedly begged, her mascara smudged all over her face from her tears.

"Maybe if you kept your mouth shut then this wouldn't happen, would it?" her drunken boyfriend slurred. This wasn't the first time he came home drunk from the local bar and thought it would be a good idea to push around his long term girlfriend for a while.

His fist connected with her stomach causing her half-limp body to collapse to the ground, her head screaming for her to fight back, to run, to do anything, but her hands stayed unresponsive, and instead were weighing her down to the ground as if they were made of concrete.

Charlie was her boyfriend that she had been dating for over a year now. He was everything she could ever dream of at first, he became her safe haven from the world she had to deal with outside and felt delighted to come home to a kind, sweet, and honest man he once portrayed herself to be. Every time he came home like this, she would remember the sweet little notes he left for her around the house and the roses he brought to her workplace "just because".

Though that soon turned for the worst when he got laid off his job no less than two months ago, the company he worked for went bankrupt, it didn't matter to Maura, she still loved him for who he was but his fragile masculinity was wounded at the fact he had to rely on his girlfriend for everything, from bills to basic things like food. Therefore, he turned his usual working out wasting money gambling and at the bar drinking away his sorrows and coming home to have control of something he could take advantage of, and that happened to be Maura.

The worst part of it was that Maura would never leave him because each and every morning, he would bandage her wounds and treat her like a queen for the day, apologising every moment he got. Well, what else do you expect from an emotional manipulator? All they need to do is find the right victim to fall into their trap.

"Pathetic!" He shouted and walking away from her limp body splayed on the floor, the rest of his profanities and taunting were covered with his slurred speech, but all Maura could hear from the floor was the footsteps moving away from her and the door slamming not long after. She let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding and forced herself to push her body up. She didn't dare walk towards the mirror like she would usually do right now, the damage this time was by far the worst it has been ever. As a doctor, she knew that she would have to go to the hospital, she didn't have the equipment at her home to fix up these wounds, and she was close to certain that some of these needed stitches.

Her breathing hitched as she stood up, her arm grasping the fresh wound and now forming bruise on her abdomen. Reaching out close by for something solid to hold herself up, she took a few deep breaths before deciding what to do next.

She could go to the police and inevitably Jane, that thought reoccurred through her brain, but as absurd as it was, she _loved _Charlie, loved him enough to stay with him. Her plan B was her best option right now.

Plan B for her was a small clinic on the outskirts of town, it was mainly used by teenagers who fell pregnant at a young age or for free contraception but the best thing about this place was that they didn't know who she was, she wasn't a highly decorated medical examiner, she was just another patient. Her movements were still shaky from the beating though she managed to get to her car keys and, with a lot of struggle, to her car.

Getting there, the car ride was filled with silence apart from the sound of heavy breathing as Maura reached hyperventilation every so often and was soon followed by her pathetic means of calming herself down, trying to see the bright side of things, something she thought would be a lot easier than it actually was.

'_Just breathe Maura, you're okay'_

'_Just breathe' _she thought in her head.

She parked her car near the entrance of the clinic, considering the time of night it was, she knew it wouldn't be that busy apart from the sparse number of doctors and odd nurse who worked the night shift, but she thought the less people around to witness her presence then the better it would be for her. Worst thing about this was the look she was going to get from the remaining doctors and nurses who just know what happened to her. They always know.

Maura blanked out for the rest of the night and soon was led to a room where a nurse was cleaning and stitching up her wounds, until an old doctor came in and started asking her questions.

The room was sterile white and filled with cold silver equipment that made the room feel unwelcoming and bitterly cold. There was a pitiable attempt at warming up the place with colourful posters aimed at children, filled with cartoon characters and bright primary colours.

"Are you ready to leave him?" he asked abruptly. As much as Maura could pretend to not know what they were talking about, they knew the signs of their abuser, it was their job, and they probably saw cases like this in their daily work. She could just pretend that she was fine, fine on her own. The only problem was that she wasn't fine. She was slowly breaking in to pieces inside.

Nobody pushed her after she denied it the first two times, they knew it was best not to push someone further than they can emotionally handle, but that doesn't mean they didn't offer her help. Lucky for Maura, the nurse she had was friendly and understanding, persuading her to go to this small group gathering, a domestic abuse centre, a piece of information that spiked something in Maura. This group was something small and occurred during her lunch hour once a fortnight and reluctantly, she agreed.

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**A/N: So yeah, I'm re-writing this one now, I have a habit of not finishing my work so I really want to do this. The original wasn't that bad of a basis so I just extended my work a little bit and polished it around the edges, along with giving it a proper ending. **

**I just got a review not that long ago from someone asking if I was going to finish this and since then I have been planning to get started of this. I've been spending pretty much most of October finishing this and that's why I haven't been focusing on the rest of my stories. **

**Oh by the way, my chapters are named after the song I'm using; it's not just some random thing… yeah, not sure where I was going with that sentence.**

**Though I have finished this story, I will still follow my normal uploading schedule because it's just so much easier **

**Read and review xx**


	2. Leave

**Disclaimer: All rights go to the original creators of the TV Show Rizzoli and Isles **

**Chapter 2 – Leave **

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_And I, just wanna leave  
Oh, God, please help me now, I wanna leave  
But I, I just wanna believe  
Oh, God, please hear me now, I wanna believe  
I just need to know, that You're really out there  
Tell me if You're really out there, 'cause I believe._

_[Leave by Michael W. Smith]_

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_4 months later_

A lot can happen in four months, in that time for Maura she moved back into her house and changed her locks. There was nothing Maura hated more than being a damsel in distress, waiting for someone to save her. A part of her still loved Charlie, she was never going to deny it, but that night after the clinic she realised that she deserved so much better than him.

_The nurse walked her outside of the clinic, sliding a piece of paper with her number on it into her clenched fist. _

"_It's in case you 'fall down the stairs' again" she said softly, opening the glass door and revealing the stench of nicotine that polluted the area. Maura looked into her eyes that were filled with sympathy, she gave a small sad smile and responded with a squeeze of her hand. "You deserve so much better, my dear, you know that, don't you?"_

"_I love him" her voice was so small, so helpless. "God, I love him so much"_

"_We do so much for love, don't I know it" she continued to walk with Maura until she reached the car, Maura looked back at with slight confusion "I would like to say I left him but it was someone else who noticed and called for help, and I couldn't have been more thankful for it but at the same time I was still in love with him. A love that stripped away my confidence and my self esteem for years after, but nevertheless it was still love"_

_Maura just stared as she watched the small figure stroll back into the clinic and let her words sink in, was she going to be better without him? _

It didn't take long for someone as smart as Maura to open her eyes and see that Charlie was nothing but destructive in her life, leaving him was the hardest part of it, but she did it. She could keep it all under, Jane never liked Charlie from the beginning but never spoke a word of it because at the time he made Maura happy and she wanted nothing less for her best friend, and Maura could keep things away from her. As far as she was concerned, Jane knew nothing about that night apart from the fact that they broke up.

_Her things were packed up hurriedly in a few dark brown suitcases, each perched up upon each other, making it easier for the taxi driver to load it into the car. Maura had double checked that Charlie wouldn't be coming home anytime soon, sneakily taking the day off from work to clear out all her belongings from her room. _

_One thing she left behind was a note from her to Charlie, something intricate and personal that she wanted to express herself in._

-x-

"_Charlie,_

_I don't know if you have yet to notice or not but I'm moving out, last night was the last straw. I gave you everything I could possibly give and you just spat it back in my face, I am not sorry for taking this course of action because you've hurt me too much, physically and emotionally. _

_I hope to God that this letter will be a wakeup call to you, you need help, professional help, something even I can't provide for you, though I could possibly leave some recommendations. _

_Don't come back for me, not until you sort yourself out, otherwise I will go straight to the police and lord knows I have enough proof of your wrong doings from last night. _

_Love is never going to be enough between the two of us_

_Goodbye,_

_Maura"_

-x-

Not long after, she started seeing a therapist about her experience, though she never explicitly stated she was abused and would never dare to word in that way, but she knew the truth.

"So Maura, tell me why did you stay with him for so long?" the voice of the therapist interrupted her thoughts. She didn't mind this doctor, but god, he asked a hell of a lot of questions, this was his first patient who was on the other side of abusing and he found it intriguing as hell.

There were times she thought that keeping it all to herself would be the better option.

"Did you like the attention? Did you like the pain? What was stopping you from leaving him?" the therapist persisted and with every question something inside of her started to build.

"I stayed with him because I loved him" her voice broke at the end of the statement and she cleared her throat to speak more "I love him because we are taught that. Ever since we were children we are taught that if a boy pulls your pigtails or throws you to the ground it means that they have a crush on you, they like you or even love you.

"Some might say that it changes when you're older, it doesn't. If they tease you or hit you it means that they love you, it means that they care for you. What they don't tell you is when you're older those rules don't apply anymore.

"Suddenly it abuse. But how are we meant to know that? So every time we get hit, it's a battle of does he love me or does he hate me? We don't know because we don't know the difference between love and abuse. Nobody tells you that it's wrong"

She faced the window while saying her speech, as if she was on her own instead of feeling like she was being prodded, the tears streamed down her face and she felt numb inside. Was it better to feel numb or everything at once?

-x-

After her appointment, Maura went back to work, regretting not picking up something to eat on her way home but then remembering it was better not to since she was just about to start an autopsy on her new victim on the current case. Jane came in as she was in the middle of prepping for it.

"Hey, I thought we were gonna go grab some lunch together today" Jane said putting a bag of takeout on the side table, away from the equipment.

"Oh my God, I completely forgot" Maura cursed herself "I had other plans and I just forgot I'm so sorry"

"Are you okay, you've been a bit jumpy recently?"

"Yeah, I'm fine"

'_I'm always just fine'_

She thought in her head

* * *

**A/N: I think this is one of the only stories that I've fully written in 3****rd**** person and carried on until the end. I always find that the third person makes it a lot more detachable to the characters though that might just be my really bad writing. **

**Anyway, I hope you like this chapter!**

**I only uploaded twice today because the last chapter only counted as replacing a chapter rather than a new upload … **

**Read and review x**


	3. Call Me Guilty

**Chapter 3 – Call me Guilty **

"_This would end all, I suppose that I could leave  
Knowing I can't leave, so it's either him or me  
Cause he gone kill me if I stay, I know  
Gone kill me, he can't change, I know  
From the first time that he did it, Made a promise that he'd quit it"_

_Call Me Guilty by Jazmine Sullivan _

The autopsy was over sooner than she knew it, her day ended earlier than usual and she didn't care that much, normally she would like to stay until all of her work was completed but her latest therapy session kept running and replaying in her head, stopping her from concentrating today. Was her therapist right about her? Maybe she enjoyed the pain considering she stayed with someone that she thought she knew everything about but was completely wrong for almost four months until she took action, and even then she didn't get help from people she knew.

She stepped into the lift with her coat and bag and turned her phone off silent and saw that she had several missed calls and a few voicemails from two people. Her phone was buzzing slightly from the alert.

"_Message One" _said the robotic voice on the other side of the phone

"Hi Maura, its Jane, I thought we were meeting up for lun-"

"_Voicemail deleted" _the voice complied with the delete button_ "Message two"_

"Hey" the voice startled Maura slightly, could it be who she thought it was? She spaced out long enough for the voicemail to finish playing and had to go back to listen to it again.

"Hey Maura, I know that I'm the last person you want to hear from" he coughed awkwardly "But I thought I should let you know that I got the help I needed, I just want to hear from you, I can explain it all to you then. If you want to meet I'll be at The Dirty Robber tonight at 7. I understand completely if you don't turn up"

"_End of message" _the voice filled the silence in Maura's brain.

Had he really gotten help? How much help can you get in four months time and if he did get the help he needed, does that mean he changed? Maura wasn't sure if he was telling the truth or not though there was that small part of her that wished he was, god, if he was the same as he was when he first started dating then that would be a dream come true. But in reality, that could never happen, those events that led Charlie to abusing her changed him completely and that's something you can never turn back from.

Maura sighed in defeat, she was now arguing with herself and it was getting ridiculous. The elevator dinged and the doors of the elevator and was surprised to see Jane, her arms crossed and leg tapping with impatience whilst looking deep in thought.

Jane's eyes brightened as soon as she caught a glimpse of Maura.

"Hey" she smiled, keeping a slight distance between the two of them. It was weird how one day they could be attached at the hip and the next day they were miles away from each other.

"Hi" she said timidly, smiling politely back at her.

"What are you doing now, I just got off work and was wondering if you wanna get something to eat and watch a movie or something?" she asked, Maura noted the hopefulness in her tone.

"Oh" she stepped out the elevator, looking at her shoes, she noticed they had a small black streak mark on them "I just made plans with someone, sorry"

"Maura" she placed a hand on her shoulder, Maura involuntarily flinched back and saw a glimpse of hurt flash across her friend's face which went as soon as it came "We haven't hung out in months, is something wrong?" she said cautiously

"Nothing" she forced a smile on her face and moved ahead, towards the front doors.

Jane opened her mouth to respond but she politely pushed past her and started walking before she quickly turned around and said "Sorry, I am running late" and couldn't even bear to even see Jane's expression, knowing what it would be.

She was on her way to meet Charlie.

**A/N: A little shorter than I would've liked it to be but there wasn't a lot that I could do with the original chapter and I just didn't have the energy to extend it any further than this.  
**

**Read and review x**


	4. Addicted To Pain

**Chapter 4 – Addicted to Pain**

"_Tell me how it feels to live a lie  
Tell me do you know that it won't ever be the same  
You can't deny, the house of cards just hit the floor  
Don't tell me you can save it in the end  
There's nothing you can do  
'Cause when it's gone, you know it won't come back again  
But you don't listen anymore"_

_[Addicted to Pain by Alter Bridge]_

Coming early to the bar was a bad idea, Maura's stomach jumped with nervousness and filled with butterflies that were going to make her sick. She thought if she came fifteen minutes earlier then she would have time to mentally prepare herself with what she was going to expect with Charlie. She busied herself with her phone and her purse, taking the time to send a couple of emails in that time, until she felt a presence near her.

She looked up from the phone and recognised who it was straight away, though certain aspects about him were different and unexpected.

He looked… better.

His usual stubbly beard was now clean shaven and his buzz cut hair was grown out so his brunette locks brushed his face when he moved. He had a different vibe about him, something definitely changed, but was it for the better or the worst?

Maura gestured to the empty seat opposite her, as if to ask him to sit down, he slid down into the seat and took in the person before him. Maura's picked at her freshly manicured nails and tangled her fingers within each other; the tension between them was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Thankfully for Maura, Charlie broke the ice first.

"Should I get drinks for us?" he asked, taking a peek at the drinks side of the menu before him. The calm tone of his voice was so foreign to her ears.

"I'll just have some still water, thank you" she said, handing him her menu and watching as he got up to order at the bar.

A buzz came from Maura's phone and she turned it on to see a text from Jane that read:  
\- Drinking a whole bottle of wine on my own. You don't know what you're missing out –  
She smiled a little bit, Jane always loved to see her smile

Charlie came back quickly with Maura's glass of water in one hand and what looked to be a club soda in his other hand

"A water for the lady" he joked and placed it in front of her

"Thanks" she smiled at him, an awkward silence fell upon them very soon after and all that was heard from them was the slight sipping between them two.

"So… Charlie, how have you been?" she asked, feeling quite unsure to what she might hear.

"I've been doing… ok" he said truthfully "I'm not going to lie to you, I had been having a hard time at rehab but I just got out a few days ago and I just want to mend bridges"

"When did you go to rehab?" this was the first time Maura had heard about this.

"I went back to my parents after you left and I knew I had a problem. It was like…" he paused for a moment "It was like I had no control over what I was doing and I was just watching it all happen right in front of me but I couldn't do anything about it. What I had done to you was horrible and unforgiveable and honestly, I wouldn't blame you if you punched me in the balls and handed me to the cops"

"I feel like if this wasn't such a serious topic I would laugh at that last sentence" Maura commented, earning a small smile from Charlie who then turned back into seriousness "Isn't being in a bar hard for you, isn't it a bad place for you to be right now?"

"Yes, it is hard to be here but I need the challenge, I know there's still a part of me that will cave back into alcoholism but I need to overcome this" he sighed "I sound like a mantra written by my sponsor"

"You have a sponsor?" Maura enquired, her hands wrapping around her glass of water and loosening again, a habit of nervousness she recently acquired, yet a useful habit as it because something that stopped her panic attacks, or at least calmed it down.

"He's some really pretentious jerk who quotes famous authors in every other sentence but he does a good job with me – always there when I need the help"

"Why did you want to meet me tonight, what was the point of this?" Maura asked abruptly, catching Charlie off guard as his drink nearly slipped from his fingertips.

"Well, I did want to say sorry because that's the least you deserve and so much more that I can't give you. But selfishly, I guess there was a part of me that wanted to talk about us" he admitted sheepishly, looking down at the table instead of Maura's eyes.

"What about us?" she said with a tinge of coldness in her voice, Charlie flinched ever so slightly but forced himself to say what he wanted to say.

"I want us again" his words were barely audible, filled with admission and guilt and if you could hear it carefully, you could detect the sense of longing.

"…Charlie" she removed her hand out of his reach and placed it awkwardly on her lap, her eyes diverting away from his.

"Is it asking for too much?"

"What happened between us was mainly… well… you and I don't think it's something we would want to recreate again" she said hesitantly.

"I know, and I am truly sorry, I don't expect you to forgive me, but I just want another chance at this relationship, I know we can make it work"

"I just need to know that you changed" she stated simple

"I can prove it to you"

"I don't know Charlie, it's too sudden, you know, it's only been four months"

"Four months was long enough to keep us apart"

"I'm going to have to think about it" was the last thing Maura said before placing her money on the table and half running out the door, leaving a shameful Charlie with his head on the table in agony.

* * *

**A/N: oooooo, what do you think is going to happen next? Tell me what you think, I like to hear from you guys. **

**This is only going to be like 7 chapters, just to let you guys know in advance.**

**Read and review x**


	5. Broken Girl

**A/N: Here is another chapter *Throws Confetti*, I have spent time re-editing this which is why it took me longer to upload. Enjoy!**

****I have extended my story to now have 8 chapters, I can't say much to why I've done that without giving the story away but you guys will love it****

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**Chapter 5 – Broken Girl**

"_This is a song for the broken girl  
The one pushed aside by the cold, cold world  
You are  
Hear me when I say  
You're not the worthless they made you feel  
There is a Love they can never steal away  
And you don't have to stay the broken girl"_

_[Broken Girl by Matthew West]_

Next morning, Maura woke up with bags under her eyes since she spent the night awake considering Charlie's proposition about getting back together, it had been almost five months, but was that enough time? Was that enough time for a person to change their behaviour, especially under the influence of alcohol, or giving up alcohol in general? She picked out a black pencil skirt and blouse from her wardrobe and placed it on her bed, carrying on with the usual routine for the morning.

Her drive to work was thoughtful, her phone ringing alerting her about a new case. This case in particular was a big case for the Boston Police Department, it was rare for them to get serial cases, especially serial cases that had been so violent and all over the media, FBI normally jumped at the chance for the publicity of these cases.

In this case, the serial murderer was targeting women with a particular look, long brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. The act was so vile, a repetitive stabbing of a disgusting twenty-five times until he dumps them in a isolated area such as in the middle of a forest or in an abandoned warehouse. Since the beginning of the year there have been three reported cases around the Boston area, at least three that they know of.

Arriving on the scene, Maura had never seen so many Boston PD officers in one place; they were all running and rushing to get to somewhere, to be somewhere. Internally Maura sighed, this much media and attention for one case meant there was going to be people breathing down her neck.

"Hey Maura, we've been waiting for you" spoke Detective Frankie Rizzoli, already holding up a pair of blue gloves for Maura "Come on, the body is down this way" he gestured towards a hiking trail sloping down the hill.

"Her name is Theresa Johnson" he started to explain, uncovering the white cloth that had lain on the frail body. She resisted the urge to divert her eyes away from it, she just looked so… broke. The way her bright eyes dulled with lack of life and froze in a position of fear, it was almost haunting.

"The media seems to call him the Brown Hearted Murderer" Frankie received a questioning look from Maura "Yeah, don't ask about that"

"I thought the FBI would take over the case by now"

"They probably will, if I'm being perfectly honest, the first victim, her name" he paused to read off this notebook "Riley Dean falls under federal jurisdiction, but hopefully they will just want to cooperate rather than take the whole case from under us"

Maura knelt next to the body, her fingers barely touching the skin of the girl, as she investigated the wounds.

"I see he didn't just keep to the chest this time" Frankie commented

"No" stated Maura "He's still kept to the number twenty five but he seems to have spread out to the neck and face" she hovered over a particular stab wound "These facial wounds seem to be deeper than usual "

"This looks personal, maybe he knew the victim" Frankie observed, he picked up his cell phone from his pocket and placed it to his ear "Hey Jane, look at everyone associated with Theresa Johnson and have it ready for us when we come back please" he put the phone down

"Jane's still at the station?" Maura asked, it was unlike her to stay behind the scenes, she liked to be face first with all of this

"Yeah, she's feeling under the weather, so we thought it would be best for her to stay back" he explained "With great difficulty, of course"

Maura chuckled at the thought of her friend arguing with her brother and co-workers about staying behind.

-x-

As soon as the body arrived Maura starting prepping for the autopsy, setting up a tape recorder that would be very stupid her to forget in case the feds came and wanted a thorough report of the initial autopsy.

"Hi Maura" Jane entered the room, her voice stuffy and a tissue pressed up against her nose "Have you started the autopsy yet?"

"Just about to start it" Maura replied, putting on her lab coat "Want to sit in?"

"Yeah sure" she smiled back at her "Best if I kept my distance though, wouldn't want me to spread my germs all over the body"

Maura went over to the body with a tape recorder and placed it down on the table next to her, she flicked the record button

"Maura Isles performing the autopsy of Theresa Johnson, she picked up a scalpel to start the Y incision on the body.

"We need about us Maura" Jane interrupted. Immediately, Maura turned the recorder off and turned to look at Jane.

"Really?" she said with a slightly annoyed tone "You couldn't pick a better time?"

"I'm serious; you've been avoiding me for months"

"Jane, don't take it personally, okay? I've just been going through some stuff"

"But stuff like that is what we used to talk about"

"I would prefer if you left Jane" Maura put her foot down and pointed to the door.

Jane sighed in defeat and walked out while Maura got back to the autopsy.

After she completed the autopsy, she headed home since she it was 5pm and her shift was finished. She was going to meet with Charlie for drinks, they decided to just be friends and then see what happens after that. Maura was running a little bit late so Charlie was already at their normal booth with the drinks already ordered.

"Hey" his eyes lit up as he took in her presence, it felt genuine, like he did before the lay off and drinking, something she would leave to reminisce on later.

"Hi, sorry that I'm late" she placed her bag inside the booth and slid herself onto the seat

"No worries, I already ordered" he replied politely

"I can see that" she said gesturing to the drink in front of her, her favourite drink nonetheless.

"Stuck I work, I presume?" he asked curiously, not in an intrusive way, just making light conversation – something Maura's always found to be awkward.

"Yes, I just had to finish up an autopsy and the paperwork, took longer than I thought it would" she said, rubbing her head from the upcoming migraine she was getting thinking about the amount of work she would have to do tomorrow

"Ah yes, let's talk about cutting open a dead body over drinks" said Charlie sarcastically followed by a wide, playful smile.

"You'll probably throw up, you don't look like you have a strong stomach" Maura took a sip from her drink with a bad attempt at trying to hide her own smile away.

"Ha-ha, you're so funny!" He rolled his eyes teasingly "What's the case you're working on this time?"

"You've probably already read about it, to be honest" said Maura, "But technically I'm not meant to answer that question with anything, so let's keep that on the down low"

"Oh, the 'brown hearted murderer'" He used air quotes around the name "How do they come up with these ridiculous names?"

"I don't even know, it's terrible, I don't even know what it's supposed to mean" Maura laughed "Why a brown heart? That's not even remotely close" she mocked the name with her usual scientific knowledge.

The night continued with the some usual banter between the two but Maura couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt every time Jane's name crossed her mind, being here right now with her ex-lover was either her best of worst choice.

* * *

A/N**: There is still a chance that she won't go back to Charlie, just gonna leave that out there.**

**There is a lot to say about Charlie's behaviour, but opinions come down to whether or not you personally think people can change and I think that's really interesting to see within reviews and reactions of people reading this. I obviously don't think alcoholism is a valid excuse to treat someone like shit and domestic abuse is a touchy subject in itself but Charlie is someone new so no one really knows much about him and won't know what he is truly like. **

**Maura is definitely OOC in this story if no one has picked up on that – I can totally feel it when I'm writing this, I could not see her being so passive towards someone. **

**One last thing, the original content has been kept in from a year ago because I could not think of a serial killer name lol .**

**Anyway, long a/n sorry**

**Read and Review x**


	6. Deepest Shame

**A/N: I have two essays due in tomorrow and I'm writing this. Procrastination at its finest**

**Not gonna lie, I haven't looked much at the reviews from the last chapter yet, but I had a glimpse at one or two and I will actually personally reply to them sometime soon. **

**Thank you guys for having mature responses to my writing, I know what I write brings up a lot to write down and I have had a lot said at me but I think this is the only fandom in which I haven't had direct hate shoved at me and I'm just so grateful for that. I've officially finished the story, it now 8 chapters! (Originally it was 7)**

**I will be uploading chapter 7 and 8 on either the same day or on two days next to each other.**

* * *

***Disclaimer: All creative rights go to the original creators of Rizzoli and Isles***

* * *

**Chapter 6**

"_She's crashing like an airplane from the sky from the storming rain  
Another pilot she's a flying eight. Hit her target a kamikaze go up in flames  
This life is taught she must pay, pay the price for her mistakes  
I guess she only has herself to blame and to her that's the deepest shame"_

_[Deepest Shame by Plan B]_

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"Hello?"

Maura called out into the darkness which was all she could see around her. She reached out to touch into the open air and tried to feel where she was and suddenly the whole place lit up like Christmas. It revealed a scenery of a never ending forest, just rows of trees and trees that continued way beyond her vision.

As the darkness started sinking in towards her, she could start to make out a cobble stone path on the floor where some light was seeping through. Steadily, she walked forward, careful to not touch anything and stay towards the light. She stood on the edge of the path where the last bit of light was and called out again.

"Is anybody there?" she called out a little bit louder "Hello?" She heard some movement within the trees and turned around to see, she closed her eyes for a second because she was starting to get scared and by the time she opened them, the scenery changed.

All of a sudden, she was now standing in the middle of the room and Maura could only see white everywhere. There was a path leading from her feet downwards and she saw at the forest but this time she could see the end of the path, it split in to two at the end. Maura stepped forward and immediately two spotlights appeared at opposite and two people appeared under them.

Jane was on one side.

Charlie was on the other.

Maura immediately understood that her brain was subconsciously making her choose between the two.

_Damn psychology_ she cursed inwardly

"Maura, you should come over here" prompted Charlie "I'm the one you should choose"

"He never treated you well and he never will, come over here" Jane pleaded, Maura heart thumped at the sound of her knowledge about her past with Charlie. Did she know the truth in real life too?

"Remember all the good times we had together"

"I treated you right, Maura"

"So did I"

"No he didn't, he hurt you"

"But you're afraid to talk to her, she hasn't been there for you like I have"

The voices continued to argue and it felt so overwhelming for Maura, like a sink overflowing until she felt like she was going to drown in her own head.

"Stop!"

Maura screamed so loud, louder than she intended to because her voice literally knocked the two people onto the floor where they landed with silent thuds.

"I choose…" she hesitated.

"I choose…" she repeated

She took a deep breath, it should've been a no brainer but it was so hard to choose.

"Jane. I choose Jane"

The floor jolted and her feet flew out from under her, leaving her with the vision of the night sky as the last thing she saw until her vision went black and she sat up in her bed, heart pounding with fear and anticipation.

Maura couldn't get over that dream; she got out of her bed to go get a glass of water downstairs. Out of one of her kitchen cupboards, she got a glass and poured some water in it. She placed both her palms on the kitchen counter and start breathing slowly and heavily, lasting each breath which helped her relax and time to think. She knew being with Charlie was a bad idea, but did she still have feelings for him? Even after all he put her through? The worse thing about this whole situation is that Jane didn't know out it and she knew why she didn't tell her. That reason was because of her temper, she knew that Jane was going to go right up to Charlie and beat the living hell out of him. He would have to face the wrath of Jane Rizzoli.

That was why Maura was avoiding Jane; she didn't want to face the truth to why she had been staying with _him_ all this time.

_That's it _Maura thought. _Enough of being afraid, I have to tell Jane_

-x-

The next morning Maura got up and for the first time in ages she got up feeling like somebody lifted this giant weight off her shoulders. She picked out her dress and shoes that she was going to were to work, as each outfit that she ever wore was perfectly colour coordinated. After she had put on her dress, she heard her doorbell ring. She swiftly went downstairs to open the door.

It was Charlie. Maura's heart dropped down as did her mood, Charlie was definitely the last person she had to see and if she stopped to talked to him she would be late to work, Maura has never been late to work.

"Maura" Charlie started in a stern tone "I don't mean to intrude this early"

"I was just… heading out" she involuntarily gulped in her pause and wouldn't dare look into his eyes.

"But I just have to know, are you going to take me back or are you just playing me?" he asked bluntly, and for the first time in days his presence brought back the memories of hospital rooms and clinics and all the pain that he caused her. In a way, that side never really did go away, maybe it wasn't the alcohol to blame after all.

Maura knew to put her foot down, she needed to show Charlie that she wasn't as weak as her made her out to be, she wanted to be brave. Brave like Jane.

"No, I'm not taking you back" she said seriously as she to close the door in his face but his foot was stuck in the doorway. He used all his strength to push it back and Maura had to jerk back just to not get hit by the door, allowing full access to Charlie to come inside.

"What?" he asked angrily, his face slowly reddening with anger, as if he was trying to contain it "What do you mean _no_?"

Her instinct took over and Maura raced to go behind her kitchen counter, her light weight allowing her to zoom fast between rooms, she held her phone tight in her hand and called the one person she was finally reaching out to.

"Rizzoli" she picked up, slightly hesitant, knowing it was Maura

"Jane, you've got to help me-" she cut herself off as she heard footsteps creeping in her direction, slowly coming around one side of the counter. She pulled herself up from the floor and aimed to get to the front door until her stupid dress got caught against the counter corner.

Charlie was merely four feet away from her, his eyes scarily filled with amusement as she struggled with the fabric.

"Maura?" Said a faint little voice, "Maura are you there, I can hear you, are you ok?"

Charlie strode forward and grabbed Maura's hair and pulled her close to him.

"You think you can hide from me, play me, and dump me?" Said Charlie dauntingly, "Well I'll show you what happens when you cross me"

She was struggling in his hold and the more she struggled the more he pulled. Maura turned and kicked him, aiming for his groin, but ending up kicking his thigh, hard enough that he let go of her hair. She fell on to the floor and let out a hard groan.

"You bitch" his calm façade took over "God, you're such a slut, thinking you could just drop me like that. I've put up with so much with you and all you've done is whore yourself around"

"I haven't-" Maura tried to plead with tears

"Shut up!" he interrupted her, grabbing her by the sleeves of her shirt to lift her high enough "I just had to get close enough to you until the killings got handed over to you but you drove me into alcoholism and you just wouldn't listen to me, I had to teach you a lesson"

He grabbed Maura by the sleeves of her shirt to lift her high enough so he could talk in her face. A crunch was followed and underneath Charlie's shoes was now a crushed cell phone, pieces of plastic scattered around the broken, now useless, thing. Maura whimpered in fear.

"Don't sound so surprised darling, you didn't know?" he chuckled hauntingly "I'm the brown hearted murderer"

And those few words, confirmed Maura's worst nightmare.

A heavy knock pounded on the door before Charlie could say anything further, muted shouts of 'Police! Open the door!' followed not long after.

"Looks like we've run out of time"

He flung Maura's body against the kitchen counter as if she was nothing but a rag doll. Her head slammed against the side and body dropped against the floor, she felt the pain pulsing in her head and the excruciating pain spread out through her body.

She screamed so loud but no one could hear a thing.

The sound around her became muffled, a gun went off and crashes were occurring around her around her, and her vision was filling up with stars, she knew what was happening and allowed her eyes to close and stare into the darkness.

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**A/N:**

**One of the reviews I got was "Charlie needs to face the wrath of Jane Rizzoli" which was a brilliant line that I just had to use in here. **

**A lot of you guys totally guessed the serial killer thing. Originally, I kind of just left that hanging, actually I don't think I finished it; I kind of just left it on this chapter. It weird that this time last year I didn't know the different between the words 'defiantly' and 'definitely'**

**Another thing in the reviews was that some of you guys shared your personal experiences and my heart goes out to all of you guys, I know sometimes it's difficult to share stuff like that. **

****2 more chapters left****

**I can't wait to see your reactions to the last chapter.**


	7. Concrete Angel

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, I am in a rush this morning and decided to post both chapter right now. I have to leave the house in like 10 minutes and I only just got up lol. Hope you enjoy the rest of this story and i cant wait to see your end reactions**

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Chapter 7 – Concrete Angel

"_Through the wind and the rain  
She stands hard as a stone  
In her world that she can rise above  
But her dreams give her wings  
And she flies to a place where  
She's loved  
Concrete angel"_

_[Concrete Angel by Martina McBride]_

"Maura was my best friend and the sister I never had, the greatest sister anyone could ask for. Maura carried her ability to make the best out of any situation from the first moment I met her until now, and everyone loved her. She was truly a caring person and I know a piece of me will always be missing now that she is gone. Maura never met a stranger and believed the best of all people until they proved her wrong. She had a great big heart, and enough love for everyone.

The best part of Maura was her sense of adventure. Maura would sometimes call me on a random Saturday with the most ridiculous proposition. "Hey, let's go fly a hot air balloon today. Hey, let's go dog sledding. Hey, let's go jump out of an airplane." Whatever it was, I was always up for the adventure, albeit I sometimes needed a little prodding.

There are so many things I could say about my sister, my best friend, my other half, but there are really not enough words to express what a wonderful person she was in these few short minutes. What I can say is she is loved, she will be missed, and we will keep her with us every day. Maura wouldn't want us to be sad. Let's remember her thirst for life, and how she touched everyone's heart she came across.

Thank you Maura, for bringing out the best of me, and touching my family in ways that only a true friend, and loving family member could, I will always cherish what you have given me, I appreciate your friendship more than these simple words can express. In the words of our Lord, 'A true friend sticks by you like family…'

We will miss you Maura. I will miss you."

Jane eyes were overflowing with tears as she hastily wiped them away with the sleeve of her blazer. It was so unfair that she had to die like that while her pathetic excuse of an ex boyfriend was just sitting in jail fighting for a fair trial, trying to get his freedom. If only Jane was a few minutes earlier then maybe Maura could've been saved or maybe if she persisted more into Maura's life instead of staying on the sidelines for the past few months then maybe, just maybe, Maura could be alive and well today.

Charlie was arrested as soon as Jane got on the scene, the ambulance took away Maura's body, just the image of her splayed hair and the blood made Jane cringe at the memory on the spot, no one should've gone through that, much less the innocent Maura. Since the arrest, Charlie has been suspected for the recent murders around town but before Jane could find out more about it, the FBI had taken over due to the close relations between the suspect and the police department.

A line of those who loved Maura stood alongside of her coffin, her co-workers and rest of the Rizzoli family were just some of the few that joined Jane in tears and were holding on to each other for dear life. Her freshly engraved grave made Jane fall to the ground, as if the reality of it all just hit her and the helplessness that she was originally feeling was nothing compared to what she was feeling now.

'Maura Dorthea Isles

Born August 7 1976

Died October 18 2015

Beloved daughter and friend'

"Sometimes you can't always save people, no matter how much they deserve to be saved" Jane heard someone whisper by the coffin and she swore she felt her heart crush under the heavy words.

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**A/N: Short but blunt chapter (there is 1 more chapter left)**

**My initial purpose for this story was purely for entertainment and a heartfelt storyline between Rizzoli and Isles but for my rewritten story I think that it was really important to address the issue the only way that I could, by my writing. **

**Domestic violence is a serious issue and unfortunately there are people who can't get out of their situation and are frightened for their lives. Sometime people can't reach out to help, as in this story, and by the time they do it can be too late.**

**Take action and spread the word, but most importantly, stay safe my little cupcakes. **

****Remember there's one more chapter to go ****


	8. Skyscraper

**A/N: another chapter my darlings, you didn't think that last chapter was going to be the end of Rizzoli and Isles, did you?**

**Thank you for everyone who has stuck with me while I've written this from the beginning, to the re-write, and through making up my mind about the ending, the support has been unbelievably amazing.**

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Chapter 8 – Skyscraper

_You can take everything I have  
You can break everything I am  
Like I'm made of glass  
Like I'm made of paper  
Go on and try to tear me down  
I will be rising from the ground  
Like a skyscraper_

_[Skyscraper – Demi Lovato]_

"Is it safe to go out?" the voice spoke rather croakily as if they hadn't spoken for a long while. The light from the window was shining through into the little cottage house located deep in the countryside of the state, deep where no one could be found.

"Yes Maura, its safe as it'll ever be" Jane lifted the last of the suitcases down the stairs and began to lock the doors, ready for the next person to live here. "Are you coming?" she smiled up at her best friend, alive in the flesh.

"As ready as I'll ever be" Maura murmured and stepped out, her pale legs standing out under her skirt from the lack of sun she had been getting. Well, being hidden away for the past year would do that to someone.

Faking Maura's death was absolutely essential to keep her safe, if it wasn't for that Charlie would just keep coming back for her, or worse, get someone much more dangerous to go after Maura and Jane could not let that happen to her, they were too focused in pinning down Charlie that no one would have the time to keep Maura safe so they sent her off to a safe house deep in the country.

Maura looked as great as she ever had, her smile shone and stood out against the miles of trees ahead of them, the smile that Jane thought had disappeared over the years, but no, it was just hidden all this time, just like she was. The injuries she sustained in that final night was terrible, close to death, but soon enough she recovered and was only left with a few scars that she would treasure as the day Jane saved her life.

Charlie was convicted just last week after a hefty trial, for the abuse of Maura Isles, which the evidence for was clear cut and the serial killings of the poor girls around the country. His sentence? 3 lifetimes worth with no parole, Jane and Frankie hugged in happiness after hearing this joyous news, happy that Charlie got the punishment he deserved, though there were time in the year where Jane was convinced she should go shoot him in the head, but they were also happy that their best friend would come home. Finally.

"Where am I going to stay?" Maura asked, cringing at the thought of going back to her apartment, it was a topic she was thinking about close to the past couple of weeks. The past year was spent worrying over her safety that she hadn't actually thought about what she would do with her freedom. Freedom. That was a word she was so glad to hear, it felt so right in this moment.

"Where would you like to stay?" Jane asked with a smile, loading the luggage into the car, her blazer lying on the top of it all, as she struggled with the weight of it all to stuff it in backseat. Her response was a response that Maura was not expecting, it had been so long since someone had asked her what she wanted, what she would want out of life.

"I want to stay with you" she stated simply, stepping closer towards Jane, she felt nothing but pure trust.

"I would like that very much" Jane wrapped her arms around her best friend; she was here in this world to stay, with her.

-x- The end -x-

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**A/N: **

****THROWS CONFETTI*****

**Do you like the ending? I have been waiting FOREVER to post this and I just couldn't wait to see your reactions!**


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